Customer Reviews

Live At The Village Vanguard: The Master Takes

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4 star:		(3)
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Coltrane's music was constantly changing and developing, but it can be divided into 3 main periods - the hard bop period (up to 1960) the modal period (up to 1965) and the atonal period - the last two years of his life.
I love the second period most, and this CD is my favorite. The musicians feed off each other, and the combination of Coltrane and Dolphy is exhilirating. Dolphy's enterance on his "India" solo is just so beautiful... Both he and Coltrane are so attuned - you hear how they pick up where the other has left, and they feed off Tyner and Jones and build magnificent musical structures.
Overall, the energy level, the musical ideas, the positive vibration - all make for an amazing album. personally - I rate this CD higher than A Love Supreme and Giant Steps.
If you want to know Coltrane - you may start here. If you are a Coltrane fan - this is an invaluable addition to your collection.

Coltrane's stand at the Village Vanguard in 1961 caused an uproar at the time. Coming on the heels of Ornette Coleman at the Five Spot in 1959, this new music had the jazz old guard up in arms -- they called it "anti-jazz"! What was Coltrane doing, they asked, after the sublime perfection of KIND OF BLUE and GIANT STEPS? If Wynton Marsalis had been there, I'm sure he would have agreed. But listen for yourself! This is beautiful, unearthly music -- "Spiritual" and "India" take the Eastern modal direction Coltrane explored with "My Favorite Things" even further. "Chasin' the Trane," of course is a tenor tour de force that still has the power to amaze. And after a less than promising beginning on the standard "Softly As a Morning Sunrise," Trane launches off into an incredible, twisting soprano solo.

The band is stellar -- the great rhythm section of Elvin Jones, Reggie Workman (and/or Jimmie Garrison) and McCoy Tyner, and Eric Dolphy on bass clarinet. And here's a consideration to keep in mind -- this particular record, called THE MASTER TAKES, collects everything from the live dates that John Coltrane authorized for release during his life. I'm not saying the COMPLETE SESSIONS are sub-par, that's not the point. The point is that this record, with all the live tracks from the original Impulse LPs LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD and IMPRESSIONS has its own integrity. If you are sufficiently knocked out and have the discretionary income, you can always spring for the 4-disc COMPLETE later!

This is truly one of those recordings that deserves more than 5 stars.

Listeners unfamiliar with the Coltrane catalogue could do worse than to begin with this gem, which features the 'classic quartet' supplemented by multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy.

Track by track:
"Spiritual": One of the most beautiful of Coltrane themes. It opens with majestic fanfare, then moves into a syncopated waltz time. Coltrane starts on tenor, finishes on soprano sax. McCoy Tyner's piano underpinnings imbue this work with a cleansing grace, like urban rain washing away the city grime.

"Softly As In A Morning Sunrise": A quick stroll through the park, with Elvin Jones shining on both brushes and sticks. Tyner has a typically sparkling solo, ushering in Coltrane on soprano sax.

"Chasing The Trane": Almost a power trio. Coltrane on tenor, never letting up, and never repeating himself. He does everything but turn his horn inside out. The rock group "Cream" was never quite this intense.

"India": An unusual theme that sounds to me more American Indian than Far Eastern. Coltrane's soprano sax takes on a skirling, keening quality, sometimes erupting into furious squalls.

"Impressions": Another marathon in which Coltrane leaps between straightforward lyricism and Ornette Coleman style free jazz. Elvin Jones pounds away and prods throughout.

This kind of jazz recording shows the some of the finest modal improv of anything around-past or present. Coltrane, his quartet, joined by underappreciated Dolphy, provide some outstanding, impredictable improv here. It seems to show that both avant-garde, indian drones, and blues can flow if one endless search for soul/spirtuality in sheets of sound that are limitless in rhythmic patterns and timbre. This is the farthest thing from casual listening..forget hearing this after a white wine party after the new John Tesh album or smooth jazz recording. It's the kind of music that has incalculable fearlessness, freedom, and devotion...which greatly inspired the expansiveness of all genres, especially in the mid-late 60's...Allman Bros, Charles Lloyd, Larry Young, Hendrix for example...it literally has more to say in 1 minute of horn-blowing then entire albums do today. Eric Dolphy shows an individual tone, passion, and elegance on this date that is rarely equaled by other multi-instrumentalists.

Recorded in 1961, when Coltrane was just beginning to make the transition from post-bop hero (think Giant Steps) to avant-garde mastermind (think Ascension), the Village Vanguard album captures one of the most ferocious, uncompromising, and brilliant performances in the history of jazz. The recordings capture the saxophonist at what may very well be the peak of his technical virtuosity (one of the peaks, in any case)- his solos are nimble, complex, and emotional. They're also groundbreaking, shying away from the traditional rigour of bebop structures, moving beyond the relative freedom of modal music and verging on free jazz (admittedly alienating some critics, leading them to denounce the Vanguard sessions as "anti-jazz). But don't let that scare you away: these recordings are incredibly accessable, thanks to their dazzling melodicism, relentless drive, and emotional resonance.

This particular disc is a reissue of the 1961 Live at the Village Vanguard album (which consisted of three tracks: "Spiritual," "Softly As In A Morning Sunshine," and "Chasin' the 'Trane") with two addoitional tracks ("India" and "Impressions," both of which appeared on Impressions, also released in 1961), and contains a little over an hour of some of the best music you've ever heard. "Spiritual" opens the album with a spine-tingling rush of sound, as Coltrane's sax twirls around Eric Dolphy's bass clarinet. The track settles into a deliciously lopsided groove, awash in Elvin Jones' dreamy, oceanic drumming. The long, meditative solos spill forth layer upon layer of spikey, gorgeous melody. "Softly As In a Morning Sunshine" is a stately and energetic stroll with an excellent piano solo from McCoy Tyner. The album's centerpiece, "Chasin' The 'Trane," really is a marvel: John takes an epic solo, jumping hurdles over the song's theme, ducking in and around the melody, spiraling into nearly atonal levels of passion, before neatly bringing the tune back to earth over a quarter of an hour later. All the while, a crack rhythm section manages to keep the song from spinning out of control. Stunning. Next up is "India," which takes the ferocity of "Chasin' The 'Trane" to the next level. Coltrane and Dolphy swap solos with the grace and intuitive skill of seasoned pros, building the tune from a tense ballad to a sound-storm that borders on (and may very well be) free jazz. The set winds down with "Impressions," which cleverly recasts the Miles Davis standard "So What" as a storming hard-bop showcase. Here, the playing is both fiery and bouyant, and the results are dazzling.

This is a superb jazz album, and another fantastic entry in the Coltrane catalogue. Go on, buy it!

What's better than a great sounding John Coltrane live recording? A great sounding John Coltrane live album with kindred spirit Eric Dolphy. These two brilliant young masters tear it up on this fine recording, although listening to it now in 2000 it's hard to hear what got the critics so up in arms in 1961. I've often thought that if I wanted to recommend a single Coltrane CD to someone unfamiliar with the man's work, it would be this one. Here we catch his style in one of its many transitions, no doubt inspired by Dolphy's own ingenious playing.

These are the best takes and a suitable summary of the live music from the Vanguard in 1961. For the most part the music is powerful and inimitable and represents a high point of Coltrane's art and of his quartet.

Unless one needs a complete discography of an artist, this CD (with colorful, poster-worthy artwork) takes the place of the original "Live at the Village Vanguard" and is a step to the multi-disc "The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings," which includes all 22 tracks that was taped during John Coltrane's November 1-5, 1961, stay at the jazz club and clearly shows his ambitious vision for the artistic potential of performing live.

Spiritual (13:30), Softly as in a Morning Sunrise (6:25) and the classic Chasin' the Trane (15:55) make up the complete original live album, while India (13:52) and Impressions (14:40) were released on "Impressions." Pianist McCoy Tyner is brilliant on Softly as in a Morning Sunrise and drummer Elvin Jones is worth the price of admission, especially on Impressions. As a duo, Coltrane (tenor/soprano sax on Spiritual, soprano sax on India) and Eric Dolphy (bass clarinet on both tracks) are simply incredible. The work by Erick Labson to digitally-remaster the tapes is a huge boost to allow bassists Jimmy Garrison and Reggie Workman to elegantly emerge in the mix. These five tracks were released under Coltrane's direction before his death in July 1967.

This material is a must for new fans and vital for pop culture collectors/historians, but kicking the tires here - while knowing what's available on another part of the lot - may not be the best key to the perfect upgrade.

Coltrane's 1961 Village Vanguard engagement is legendary - both for the quality of the music and for the controversy it generated at the time. This reissue is the best option for those who want just one disc of recordings from that engagement; these are the 5 tunes from the 1961 Village Vanguard engagement released during Coltrane's lifetime.

Another option most listeners should consider is the 4-CD box set which contains all the recorded tracks from the Vanguard engagement. This isn't something for everyone - the box is pricier, and most of the tunes (including 4 or 5 that are not available on the Master Takes disc) are given multiple interpretations that may go over the head of the Coltrane neophyte. Nevertheless, the more you listen to the music, the more the variations between these radically different versions (each night has a different approach) come to the fore. Unless you are the kind of person that will end up with no more than 5 or 6 Trane discs, I would consider saving up the cash and getting the box.

As far as the music, the most famous track is "Chasing the Trane" - a bare-bones blues with Coltrane on tenor, backed by only bass and drums. While later in his career would push the music out even further, by the standards of 1961 this was a very radical performance, with Coltrane's squawks, growls and screams as well as highly dissonant note choices. "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise" is the most traditional track from the box, showcasing how well Coltrane's quartet could function even in a more conventionally swinging format. Listen to Elvin on brushes! "Spiritual" anticipates some of Coltrane's later music - "After the Rain", "Alabama", "Song of Praise", A Love Supreme - though in this case, he's literally playing a tune based on an African American spiritual rather than expressing that sentiment. "India" makes explicit the link between Coltrane's soprano playing and the eastern music that it hinted at on earlier albums, and also has some fine bass clarinet playing from Eric Dolphy. "Impressions", with a similar structure to "So What" but at a much faster pace and more intense playing, again showcases Coltrane fronting a trio.

Classic music, whether you opt for 1 disc or 4.

Probably one of my favourite Coltrane records. Lots of Raw energy from Coltrane and what appears to be "stream of consciousness" playing. The interplay between piano, drums and bass here is also amazing. This is an astounding rhythm section. All the players here seem to be at the top of their game. Chasin' the Trane and Impressions are absolutely amazing.